Understanding addiction - with herbs to help overcome and heal

(NaturalNews) Many cultures today are at war with addiction, armed and ready to capture the guilty in the act. Instead of devastating the guilty and separating them from society, we should look at addiction in a new light. We should devastate the guilt, not the guilty, and realize that addiction is the result of a person's desperate, failed attempts to bond and connect with others in spiritual authenticity. Addiction may also stem from being out of touch with the Source that breathed life into us. It may come from a disconnect with nature too, and the healing energies that come from the Earth.

Isolating the addicted and abandoning them only deepens the root causes of addiction, by increasing that separation.

Our addictions are a symptom of us trying to bond and connect

When it comes to emotional attachments, there are a number of comforting substances that can consume our attention. If we are not careful, these substances and habits can ultimately become a main focus in our life. We may look to these habits to fill a void in us, a void that we may not recognize or understand.

It's important to recognize the things we are bonding to so we can recognize where our spiritual and emotional disconnects derive from. As humans, we were designed to connect with our brothers and sisters, our fellow human beings, but if we feel that we aren't establishing these connections, we may turn to substances or habits for emotional attachment, isolating ourselves from family and friends.

It's not that we are addicted to our vices, per se. We are really trying to bond. We may feel like we need something to have a good time. In this way, we are looking to connect through the substance or habit. However, after we indulge in its pleasures, it's never quite enough. We seek more of it until it consumes our time, love and energy.

This can come in the form of anything, from connecting through junk food, to falling into the web of pornography, to always seeking that marijuana high. The bonding can be sought in drunkenness, the promise of psychotic pharmaceuticals, or the deceptive solace of gambling. If our life is not spiritually fulfilling, if a part of us is lonely deep inside, if our mind feels isolated from the world around us, we can easily turn to vices to fill the void. These things may not be dangerous in and of themselves at first, but our attachment to them can ultimately deprive us of much more within and around us.

Of course, over time, it's easy to justify our behavior, clinging to our vices in denial, but at the end of the day all we may be searching for is deeper connection, with people, nature or the purposeful energy in the universe. Our spirit may be deprived amid the consumerist and divisive culture that we live in. We are taught that we are all separate, but the truth is that we are one consciousness, a spectrum, a reflection of one another. The more we cling to our emotional attachments, the more narcissistic we become, losing our empathy for our brothers and sisters in spirit. This only separates us more, the very opposite of what we truly need.

As empathetic beings by nature, we long for love and connection with others. If the environment we are in or the environment we put ourselves in feeds self, then the void grows deeper and the vices become stronger. Our vices feed self, perpetuating our separation. We must strive for the true, selfless connections and the balance in life. There are medicines that promise to ease this anxiety within us, but they can never fill the void of true connection and love that we seek. Likewise, if we feel we always have to prove ourselves to the world around us, we may feel lonely and turn to our vices for connection. We can reach for pharmaceuticals, but these cannot heal the heart of past hurts.

Reconnecting with our energy body and easing withdrawal effects using healing herbs

Some times, our addictions take hold not only because we have lost our connection with one another but also because we have become disconnected from nature. Thankfully, there are many powerful cleansing herbs that can ease the withdrawal effects of our most debilitating addictions. Here are some herbs that can help our mind, body and spirit heal:

For nights of insomnia, both valerian and skullcap can initiate healing, reassuring the mind. Valerian slows down the heart and strengthens its beat, restoring rhythm within.

When confronted with the stress and anxiety of withdrawal, both passionflower and St. John's wort can be introduced for restoration of the mind and spirit.

If nausea is present, ginger is an important root for the gut and the nerves.

To help the liver and kidneys function optimally, removing toxins and negative energy, introduce dandelion, schisandra berry, burdock root and milk thistle. This will cause a diuretic effect and stimulate the release of pent-up emotions, bile and waste.

One very powerful immune-system-strengthening herb is Siberian ginseng. This herb has both a physical effect and an energetic effect, providing confidence in oneself that may have been destroyed in the fight against an addiction. This herb helps both the throat and crown chakra, allowing for better communication and higher spiritual connection.

This list of healing herbs is only the beginning. Purifying oneself with nature is both therapeutic and effective for both the physical body and the energy body.

Whatever habit or substances we may default to, cling to, or wrap our energy around, we should expose and bring it into the light, looking at ourselves in a different, honest light.

What are we missing?
Do we have balance in our life?
How can we reconnect?
Do we take certain relationships for granted, choosing vices first?
Do we need to give up something to gain so much more spiritually?

The journey is ours for the experiencing.

Sources:

http://herbalsurvival.blogspot.com

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